Prince Charming of Harley Street / The Heart Doctor and the Baby (12 page)

‘I’ve already spotted at least ten famous people,’ she told Rose. ‘Everywhere I look there is someone whose face I recognise. Isn’t this brilliant? I can hardly believe I’m here.’ She pointed across the room. ‘I saw her film last week. Isn’t she beautiful? Even more than she is in her films? And as for that dress, isn’t it to die for?’

It was overwhelming. Rose felt drab and shy in the presence of so many well-known people, all of whom looked relaxed and confident. In the crowd she noticed Lady Hilton. Although she had a smile painted on her face, Rose could tell instantly, even from a distance, that she was worried. When she thought no one was looking her smile disappeared, to be replaced with lines of worry around her mouth and eyes. Forgetting her shyness, Rose made her way through the throng until she was by her side.

‘Lady Hilton,’ she murmured in her ear. ‘Are you okay?’

‘My dear girl, I didn’t know you were coming. It’s lovely to see you.’ She raised her face for Rose to kiss. Although the older woman’s voice was bright, she didn’t fool Rose.

‘How is Lord Hilton?’ she asked quietly.

‘Much the same as when you last saw him, my dear.’

As promised, Rose had been making regular trips to their estate to check up on Lord Hilton.

‘He insisted I come tonight, even though I told him I’d rather stay with him. But he wouldn’t hear of it. He said that the Hiltons had never missed this fundraiser in twenty years and we weren’t going to start now.’ Sophia smiled wanly. ‘You know how much we both owe you, don’t you, dear? Without your help we would never have been able to keep him at home. Jonathan’s a lucky man. Goodall is with Giles tonight. I’ll stay until the auction then I’ll go home.’ She glanced around the room. ‘Where is Jonathan?
I’d like to speak to him.’ Her voice regained some of its familiar strength.

It was kind of Sophia to think Jonathan was lucky to have her as a nurse. But Rose knew that the small help she had been able to give the couple had made a difference to the dark days they were facing. It had helped her too. There was a bitter-sweet poignancy in helping the couple through their last days together.

‘Why don’t you join us at our table?’ Rose suggested. Then felt immediately embarrassed. Lady Hilton was bound to have friends to sit with. But, to her surprise, Sophia looked relieved.

‘Thank you, my dear. I’d like that. It would save me having to answer questions about my Giles. Everyone means to be kind, but it gets a little difficult.’

‘Come on, then.’ Rose smiled. ‘Let’s get you seated and you can rest your feet. Vicki and her husband are at our table too. I’m sure she’d like to see you.’

Lady Hilton seemed glad to see Vicki. Jenny, on the other hand, was struck dumb for the first time Rose could remember. Rose suppressed a smile when Jenny attempted a small curtsy when she was introduced to Lady Hilton, and then, realising what she had done, blushed to the roots of her hair.

‘Apparently the auction is going to start before dinner and continue all the way through,’ Vicki told everyone at the table. ‘There’s a list of what’s being auctioned under the menu.’

Rose picked up the bound, heavy pages of the auction items. There were cars and weeks on private islands, trips on personal Lear jets, diamonds, paintings and—she smiled—the date with one of London’s eligible bachelors. That must be the event Jonathan had told them about. She
wished there was something she could afford to bid on, but there was nothing she could afford. She would have to sit back and watch the fun.

‘Are you bidding on anything, my dear? I think I’ll make an offer on one of the paintings. I usually do and then slip it back into the auction the following year. We have far too many paintings as it is.’

‘I’m afraid there is nothing here I can afford,’ Rose admitted.

‘Lady Hilton, Sophia, what an unexpected pleasure.’ Jonathan’s voice came from behind her. ‘And to have you sit with us is a double honour.’

‘I haven’t taken your seat, have I?’ Lady Hilton. ‘If I have, I can easily return to my own table. I’m sure Rose would rather sit next to you than an old lady like me.’ Her eyes slid to Rose and the sadness was replaced with a twinkle. ‘Doesn’t she look beautiful?’

‘Yes, she does,’ Jonathan replied quietly. ‘Easily the most beautiful woman in the room.’

Rose felt a blush steal up her cheeks. But she knew better than to take his words seriously. No doubt it was the way he spoke to all women.

‘Unfortunately, I won’t be needing my seat for the next hour. Despite my best efforts, Lady Somerville has roped me into the bachelor date auction. She won’t take no for an answer.’

Rose stifled a giggle. It was the first time she had seen him look ill at ease.

‘Isn’t that the thing you were telling us about in the car? The one you said you would never do again?’ Jenny leant over, dragging her eyes away from the seemingly endless parade of actresses, models and pop stars.

Jonathan sighed heavily. ‘I tried to tell her that I’d match the highest amount bid for any of the men in the auction, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She says she needs me to make the numbers up, and I was the highest earner last year.’

‘If I had the money, I’d bid for you,’ Jenny said stoutly.

‘Just remember it’s all for a good cause,’ Lady Hilton reminded Jonathan.

A woman was waving frantically from the other side of the room, trying to get his attention.

‘Looks like I’m up. Wish me luck, everyone.’ Then, with a last rueful grimace, Jonathan left them.

‘You should bid for him,’ Lady Hilton told Rose. ‘He could do with a good woman. Someone to settle him down. I know his father worries about him.’

Rose was mortified. Jonathan and her? It was inconceivable. Lady Hilton should know that.

‘I hardly think Jonathan and I are suited,’ she said, keeping her voice mild.

‘Why ever not? Don’t you find him good looking and charming? He’ll inherit a title when his father dies. Half the women in this room would jump at the chance to be the future Lady Cavendish.’ She peered after Jonathan. ‘What’s wrong with him?’

‘There’s nothing wrong with him.’ Rose wished the floor would open up and swallow her. ‘It’s just that I’m hardly suited to being the lady of the manor, am I?’ And if that wasn’t bad enough, she had no future to offer any man. But she wasn’t going to talk about that.

‘Rubbish, girl. If you think just because you’re a commoner, and he belongs to aristocracy, think again. His mother, the current Lord Cavendish’s first wife, was a commoner too. Things are changing. And for the better, I
would say.’ She looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘I don’t think his father ever got over the death of his first wife. She was the love of his life.’

‘What happened to her?’

‘She died when Jonathan was five. Pneumonia, would you believe? The poor mite was devastated. His father sent him away to boarding school just when Jonathan needed him most. I don’t think Jonathan has ever forgiven him and I suspect he blames him for not noticing how unwell Clara was. How can a child understand that Cavendish sending him away was nothing to do with him? That his father just couldn’t cope? The sight of him every day was just too much of a painful reminder. It was the way things were done. I’m not saying it was right. Then his father married again. Within six months. I think it was because he was lonely, but Jonathan never forgave him for that either.’

It explained the tension and anger between Jonathan and his father.

‘Why didn’t Lord Cavendish explain? Tell his son how he felt?’

Lady Hilton looked surprised. ‘Men don’t speak of these things, my dear. At least, not then. Oh, I know these days it’s the done thing to talk about your feelings, endlessly. But that isn’t the way Jonathan and his father were brought up.’

Rose felt a pang for the child Jonathan had been. How terrible to lose your mother and then to be sent away into a strange environment from the only home you had known. What would that do to a grieving child? At least she had always been surrounded by the love of her parents and had always known that they would do anything for her happiness.

There was no more time to talk as everyone was instructed
to take their seats by a tall woman with short, platinum-blonde hair.

‘That’s Mrs Tenant, Rose.’ Lady Hilton whispered. ‘She used to be a model in the sixties. Her father was enormously wealthy. Perhaps even wealthier than Lord Cavendish. She married for love and she’s been blissfully happy. She helps Lady Somerville run the auction. I have to say, between them, they’ve helped raise hundreds of thousands of pounds over the years.’

Mrs Tenant—Julia—welcomed everyone in a rich Yorkshire accent that was as far away from the plush London tones all around her as it was possible to be.

‘We are going to start with the eligible bachelors’ auction,’ she said after she had spoken briefly about the charity. ‘I know this is a favourite event for most of you. Now, we have five men, all single and all looking forward to their dates with the lucky women who win the auction. Don’t be mean, anyone. Dig deep into those pockets.’

Everyone settled down, looking towards the runway that had been erected near the front of the room. A hush descended as Julia introduced the first ‘bachelor’—a British tennis player who had been taking the country by storm over the last year. He swaggered onto the stage in a pair of tennis shorts and nothing else, looking, Rose thought, extremely self-conscious with a nervous grin on his face. There were a number of wolf whistles as he walked to the edge of the stage and flexed his forearm in a way that had become familiar to millions of tennis fans around the world.

‘Who’ll start the bidding? Come on, now, ladies, don’t be shy. Who’ll give me a hundred pounds?’

A sea of arms shot up. ‘A hundred and fifty,’ came a call
from the back. Rose swivelled around in her seat to find a young woman waving her arms in the air, a bundle of notes in each hand.

‘Two hundred,’ came another voice. Soon the bidding was up to four hundred and after Julia had promised that the player was throwing in a couple of prime seats for Wimbledon in June, the bidding rose to five hundred pounds before the triumphant girl who had started the bidding won her date.

Three others followed in quick succession. Rose felt sorry for the aristocrat with an unfortunate smile who only managed to raise two hundred pounds and she suspected his mother was behind that.

Jonathan was last to take the stage. He had, or someone had made him, remove his shirt. He strolled up the runway in his dinner trousers, bow-tie and jacket, his exposed chest smooth and muscular. If he felt self-conscious no one would have known from his confident grin. Rose felt a shiver run down her spine. He really was the sexiest man she had ever known.

The bidding started at three hundred pounds and quickly rose to five hundred.

‘Come on, ladies. You can do better than that. Jonathan is one of London’s most eligible bachelors. As far as I’m aware, there is no one in his life at the moment.’

The bidding rose by another hundred pounds. And even further. Suddenly, Lady Hilton’s hand shot up. ‘One thousand pounds,’ she said firmly. Rose looked at the old lady in astonishment and was even more surprised when she received a saucy wink in response.

‘One thousand pounds. Sold to Lady Hilton,’ Julia said with a flourish. ‘A new record.’

As she thanked everyone and the music faded away, Jenny and Vicki turned surprised faces towards Lady Hilton, who leaned closer to Rose and whispered in a conspiratorial voice, ‘I bought him for you, dear.’

‘Me?’ Rose squeaked, thinking that Lady Hilton had lost her marbles. ‘Whatever for?’

She leaned over and took Rose’s hand in one of hers. ‘Because I think you’re right for each other, that’s why. Even if he can’t see it yet.’

Lady Hilton hadn’t a clue how wrong she was. Rose was hardly the catch of the century. Even if she didn’t have an uncertain future, unable to have children, bookish, what would anyone ever see in her? Let alone a man like Jonathan, who had dated some of the most beautiful and confident women in the world? Her heart stumbled. She’d enjoyed Jonathan’s company over the last few weeks. More than enjoyed it, but soon it would be over. She’d be leaving, going back to her life in Edinburgh, whatever she decided to do about the operation. Her empty life, she thought miserably. She had been happy with it once, but that had been before Jonathan. Now she knew, however long she lived, her life would be lonely and grey without him.

Jonathan, who had replaced his shirt, slipped into the chair beside her. ‘Thank God, that’s over,’ he said. ‘I think I might just make my excuses for next year. But thank you, Sophia, for making the winning bid. Where would you like me to take you? Horseracing? To a polo match? I know you love both.’

Lady Hilton smiled wryly. ‘As much as I’d like to go somewhere with you, Jonathan, I rather suspect that this will be my last outing for a while.’ She turned her head to the side, but not before Rose saw a tear slip down her
cheek. ‘That’s why I’ve passed my date on to Rose here. I know she’s been working hard. Not least as she keeps popping in to see how we are, bless her. And I don’t think polo or the racecourse is altogether what’s needed. I need you to come up with something much more…’ she hesitated. ‘Appropriate for Rose.’

Rose was thoroughly embarrassed. Imagine Jonathan being tasked with taking her out as if she were a bag of shopping or a pet requiring to be walked. It was too much.

‘There’s no need at all to take me out,’ she muttered into his ear. ‘But perhaps we should pretend—as if it’s ever going to happen—for Lady Hilton’s sake?’

Jonathan grinned and Rose’s heart pinged.

‘I’m not one to back out of anything,’ he said into her ear. She felt his warm breath on the nape of her neck and a delicious thrill ran down her spine. Goose-bumps prickled her arms, making her shiver. ‘And I didn’t have you down as a quitter either,’ he continued. ‘In the meantime…’ he held out a hand ‘…shall we dance?’

Almost in a daze, Rose let him lead her to the dance floor. Thankfully she knew how to waltz. Memories of her father twirling her and her mother around their small sitting room to the music of Mozart and Strauss brought a lump to her throat. She had never dreamed she would be putting it into practice in such a setting.